Hair Salon Permit Requirements in Denver, CO
Complete permit and license guide for starting a hair salon in Denver, Denver County, Colorado.
Not legal advice. Requirements may change — always verify with your local government authority before applying. Key agencies and fees on this page were re-checked against official government sources on .
Federal — start here
1 stopEIN (Employer Identification Number)
Required if you have employees or operate as an LLC/corporation. Free from the IRS, obtained instantly online.
Official government sourceFreeImmediate (online application)
Free
Immediate (online application)
State of Colorado
3 stopsColorado Sales Tax License
Required for salons selling retail products such as shampoo and styling products. Salon services themselves are not taxable — Colorado does not tax services. Issued by the Colorado Department of Revenue; the state license covers state and state-collected local taxes only, so a Denver salon also needs Denver's own (free) Retailer's Sales, Use, Lodger's Tax License.
Official government source$16 for the two-year license period when applying January–June of an even year, prorated to $12, $8 or $4 later in the cycle, plus a one-time refundable $50 deposit for a new account ($66 total for a first location); the deposit is refunded once $50 in state sales tax has been remittedImmediate when filed online through MyBizColorado or Revenue Online
$16 for the two-year license period when applying January–June of an even year, prorated to $12, $8 or $4 later in the cycle, plus a one-time refundable $50 deposit for a new account ($66 total for a first location); the deposit is refunded once $50 in state sales tax has been remitted
Immediate when filed online through MyBizColorado or Revenue Online
Colorado Shop Registration (cosmetology salon place of business)
Colorado does not issue a cosmetology 'salon establishment license'. C.R.S. 12-105-112 requires each owner of a place of business to register it with the director of DORA's Division of Professions and Occupations, Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure; the registration must be conspicuously displayed and it is unlawful to offer cosmetology services at an unregistered place of business. There is no pre-opening facility inspection for lighting, ventilation or sanitation — under C.R.S. 12-105-120 inspections happen only upon written complaint. Infection-control and sanitation obligations still apply under the Office's rules.
Official government sourceThe director sets the registration fee based on the Division's actual cost of maintaining the registry (C.R.S. 12-105-112(1)); the amount is disclosed in DPO Online Services rather than on the program webpage. The claimed '$100-$150/year' is not a published Division figure.Filed through DPO Online Services; no pre-registration inspection is required, so the claimed 2-4 week inspection wait does not apply.
The director sets the registration fee based on the Division's actual cost of maintaining the registry (C.R.S. 12-105-112(1)); the amount is disclosed in DPO Online Services rather than on the program webpage. The claimed '$100-$150/year' is not a published Division figure.
Filed through DPO Online Services; no pre-registration inspection is required, so the claimed 2-4 week inspection wait does not apply.
Colorado Cosmetologist License (DORA Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure)
Everyone performing cosmetology services in your salon must hold a current Colorado cosmetologist license from the Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure, part of DORA's Division of Professions and Occupations. Licensure by examination requires 50 credit hours or 1,500 contact hours of training from a barber or beauty school and passing the written and practical examinations, which are administered by PSI rather than by a state board — Colorado's barber and cosmetology boards were replaced by a program director with an advisory committee. Someone holding an equivalent active license in another state or country applies by endorsement instead. Licenses run on a two-year renewal cycle, not an annual one, and the salon itself holds a separate shop registration rather than a license.
Official government sourcePSI charges a $32 application fee to apply for and sit the licensing examination, plus its own exam fees. The Division's license fee is presented and collected at the end of the online application and is reset by DORA periodically, so confirm the current amount in the application itself. A salon shop registration application (including change of ownership) carries a $35 non-refundable fee.Driven by PSI exam scheduling; endorsement applications are reviewed and the applicant notified as soon as the review and out-of-state license verifications are complete
PSI charges a $32 application fee to apply for and sit the licensing examination, plus its own exam fees. The Division's license fee is presented and collected at the end of the online application and is reset by DORA periodically, so confirm the current amount in the application itself. A salon shop registration application (including change of ownership) carries a $35 non-refundable fee.
Driven by PSI exam scheduling; endorsement applications are reviewed and the applicant notified as soon as the review and out-of-state license verifications are complete
City of Denver / Denver County
3 stopsDenver Business License — Not Required for Hair Salons
Denver has no general or blanket business license. Its Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (renamed from the Department of Excise and Licenses) issues about 68 category-specific licenses — for example massage business, body art establishment, garage repair of motor vehicles, kennel and retail food. Hair salons are not one of those categories, so no Denver business license applies. Cosmetology salons and the individuals working in them are licensed by the state instead, through the Colorado Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure at DORA.
Official government sourceNo fee — no Denver business license applies to hair salonsNot applicable
No fee — no Denver business license applies to hair salons
Not applicable
Salon Sanitation — Colorado DORA rules (no standalone Denver inspection programme)
Denver does not run a separately named routine 'DDPHE salon sanitation inspection' programme. Salon sanitation is governed by DORA's Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure under the Barber and Cosmetologist Practice Act and its infection-control rules, and inspections of salons, places of business and rented booths are conducted only upon written complaint (C.R.S. 12-105-120). Denver Public Health & Environment may respond to complaints under its own environmental health authority, and the salon's place of business must be registered with DORA under C.R.S. 12-105-112.
Official government source$0 — there is no Denver salon sanitation inspection fee and no such standalone Denver programme.Not applicable; there is no scheduled inspection upon opening, and DORA inspections are complaint-driven.
$0 — there is no Denver salon sanitation inspection fee and no such standalone Denver programme.
Not applicable; there is no scheduled inspection upon opening, and DORA inspections are complaint-driven.
Denver Certificate of Occupancy
A Certificate of Occupancy is required before opening a salon in a commercial space in Denver. It is issued by Community Planning and Development after the space passes the zoning, building and fire inspections for the permitted work. Tenant-finish or remodel work needs a building permit first, and a change of use for the space needs its own zoning permit.
Official government sourceDenver charges no separate Certificate of Occupancy fee - the cost is the building permit and plan review for the work, set by valuation: $20 up to $500, $35 for $501-$2,000, then $35 for the first $2,000 plus $8 per additional $1,000 to $25,000, with plan review adding 50% of the permit fee above $2,000. A Temporary Certificate of Occupancy is $200 and a duplicate CO is $10. Zoning permits are separate ($20 to establish a use or change of use).Denver does not publish a processing-time standard. The certificate is issued only after the zoning, building and fire inspections for the permitted work pass, so timing follows your permit and inspection schedule; non-customary or after-hours inspections are billed at $100 per hour.
Denver charges no separate Certificate of Occupancy fee - the cost is the building permit and plan review for the work, set by valuation: $20 up to $500, $35 for $501-$2,000, then $35 for the first $2,000 plus $8 per additional $1,000 to $25,000, with plan review adding 50% of the permit fee above $2,000. A Temporary Certificate of Occupancy is $200 and a duplicate CO is $10. Zoning permits are separate ($20 to establish a use or change of use).
Denver does not publish a processing-time standard. The certificate is issued only after the zoning, building and fire inspections for the permitted work pass, so timing follows your permit and inspection schedule; non-customary or after-hours inspections are billed at $100 per hour.
Terminus
Open for business — est. $400–$1,000 · 3–6 weeks from application to opening
Want this mapped to your exact business and structure, in filing order?